Utility of halofuginone lactate for the prevention of natural cryptosporidiosis of calves, in the presence of co-infection with rotavirus and Salmonella Typhimurium.

Halofuginone lactate (HL) is registered in several countries for the prevention of calf cryptosporidiosis, but the compound's utility in the presence of co-infection with other enteropathogens is not well understood. We performed a randomized controlled field trial of the efficacy of HL for the prevention of natural calf cryptosporidiosis, in the presence of co-infection with rotavirus and Salmonella Typhimurium. Newborn calves on one farm were sequentially enrolled and allocated to a full dose (n=15), half dose (n=15), or a placebo control group (n=15), using a randomized block design.